Eric Reed and Nate Pena are both freshmen goalies.
With the new addition of these two players to the UCLA soccer
team, the adage “two’s company and three’s a
crowd” might have to be altered: The number in the crowd has
just dropped to two.
“They’re going to be competing all the time,”
said the team’s current keeper, junior Zach Wells.
“Every day is going to be pretty difficult.”
Pena and Reed will both have to wait for Wells to graduate for
their time to shine. Last week, Wells was named Soccer
America’s player of the week after shutting out top-ranked
St. John’s, and it doesn’t look like his career is
anywhere near slowing down.
“Zach is, at this point, our number one goalkeeper,”
said head coach Tom Fitzgerald. “This is a learning
experience for Eric and Nate.”
“You hope as a coach you have a competitive situation at
every position,” Fitzgerald continued. “A lot of guys
are capable of playing, but we can only play 11 at a time, so in
practice that means it’s very competitive.”
The competition is definitely there, although Reed and Pena
downplay any tension between themselves but are quick to declare
their passions for the game and their desires to play.
“I don’t mind competition,” said Reed.
“I think we keep it quiet. I think in our minds there’s
stuff going on, but nothing’s said. I’m just trying to
fight for it, just trying to take over for Zach when he
leaves.”
“When people were recruiting me, I was told I would be No.
3 behind Reed, so I just wanted to come here to prove everyone
wrong,” Pena said. “It’s really intense, but my
playing shows everybody that I could be next in line. I have the
ability to start “¦ I want to start.”
Pena did start this weekend against Fresno State while Wells sat
out, suffering from a pulled abdominal muscle. He made three saves
in UCLA’s 2-1 win over the Bulldogs.
Pena’s season goals against record stands at 76 percent,
and his last save was against St. Louis in UCLA’s first match
of the season.
This summer, Reed suffered from a broken hand and a case of
mononucleosis and sat out the first two weeks of fall training.
“It’s disappointing,” Reed said of his injury.
“I just have to keep working hard.”
It is apparent that they’re both working hard. Reed and
Pena have their own strengths on the field, and both have extensive
backgrounds. Among other accomplishments, Reed has played with the
U.S. under-18 National Team in Chile, and Pena led his Mater Dei
High School squad to back-to-back CIF championships.
“(Reed)’s always been technically very good, and
he’s always been a hard worker,” said Wells. “I
was pleasantly surprised to see how athletic Nate was. He’s
more than capable of making huge saves and he’s very good
with one-on-ones. He’s very good instinctively.”
“Both of them were a very good decision, both are very
good goalkeepers,” Fitzgerald added. “Nate’s a
little bigger, a little quicker and more athletic. Eric is more
verbal, he communicates well so he’s a good organizer, but
he’s also very quick.
“We have three very good goalkeepers we feel comfortable
with.”
When that number drops to two, the competition will become even
more intense, even if it’s not articulated.
The fact that there’s only one keeper on the field leaves
the lingering question of how these two freshmen could possibly get
along, knowing that even though the other is his teammate, he is
also the competition.
“There’s no tension between me and Eric,” said
Pena. “We’re all here to push each other —
that’s what we do, and if we have to get on each
others’ backs, that just makes us better.”
Although it might be a little hard to believe, talking to the
guys, you might just believe it.
“Where everyone else came from, they were the big dog, and
we’re not now,” said Reed, coming to the realization
many freshmen experience, athletes or not. “It’s an
eye-opening experience I guess.”
Fitzgerald will need to have both eyes open to watch Reed and
Pena develop.
“They both have the potential to be great goalkeepers, and
it could be a very competitive situation down the road,” he
said diplomatically.
That road, however, might be shorter than anyone thinks.